Ian Mahinmi
Ian Mahinmi (born November 5, 1986 in Rouen) is a French professional basketball player who currently plays for the Indiana Pacers of the NBA. At 6'11" and 230 lbs, he plays the center position. He was drafted with the 28th overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs. Early life Mahinmi was born to a Beninese father who helped other Africans immigrate to France and a Jamaican mother who taught preschool. Mahinmi preferred playing soccer as a child along with his older brother, but eventually switched to playing basketball. He was 6 feet tall when he was 14 years old. He also played some volleyball.[ French basketball career Mahinmi made his impression on international scouts at the 2004 Under-18 European Championships in Zaragoza, Spain. It was there that he first caught the attention of international scouts, including San Antonio Spurs scout Sam Presti. After playing with the French national team he signed his first contract with the club STB Le Havre (France). He played three seasons with Le Havre, averaging 9.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in 2005–06. In the summer of 2006, he signed a contract to play for Pau Orthez in France's top professional league. He averaged 4.3 points and 3.2 rebounds in 12.7 minutes in the 2006–07 season, helping the team win the French Cup. NBA career Mahinmi was selected 28th overall in the 2005 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs, which surprised many other teams and league officials because he wasn't among the 128 players listed in the league's draft guide. Mahinmi was considered a "project" that would be a couple of years from competing in the NBA. The Spurs' interest in Mahinmi relates to their need for an athletic big man since David Robinson retired. Playing for the Spurs' 2006 summer-league team at Rocky Mountain Revue, Mahinmi demonstrated his athleticism, but had difficulty maintaining rebounding or post position without fouling. After Mahinmi moved to Pau Orthez, which had a more developed strength and nutrition program than the one at Le Havre, the Spurs also began to send a strength coach to monitor his progress. During the 2007 Summer League, Mahinmi tore his right pectoralis minor shortly after the start of play. Despite this setback, he was signed by the Spurs on August 23, 2007. Mahinmi played for the Austin Toros, the Spurs' affiliate in the NBA Development League, by November. Mahinmi averaged 17.1 points and 8.2 rebounds in the NBA Development League, leading the Austin Toros to the D-League Finals in which they lost. On October 30, 2007, Mahinmi made his NBA debut with the Spurs against the Portland Trail Blazers, playing only 74 seconds and registering no statistics. Mahinmi signed with the Dallas Mavericks on July 13, 2010. On December 7, 2010, against the Golden State Warriors, Mahinmi recorded his first career double-double (12 points and 10 rebounds in 21 minutes). On January 15, 2011, Mahinmi scored a career high 17 points in a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, going 6-6 from the floor and 5-6 from the free throw line while collecting 6 rebounds. On June 12, 2011, in game 6 of the NBA Championship series against the Miami Heat with Dallas leading the series 3–2, Mahinmi collected a crucial offensive rebound in the closing seconds of the 3rd quarter before hitting a buzzer beater shot to further extend the Mavericks lead. Dallas went on to win the game 105–95 and Mahinmi won his first NBA championship with the Dallas Mavericks. He scored a career high 19 points on December 30, 2011 in a game against the Toronto Raptors as the Mavs won their first game of the 2011-12 season. Mahinmi went 6-6 from the floor and 7-11 from the free throw line while collecting 5 rebounds. Mahinmi recorded his first career start in a 95-86 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. On July 12, 2012 Mahinmi was traded to the Indiana Pacers for Darren Collison and Dahntay Jones. NBA career statistics Regular season Playoffs Category:Roster